


Heart of Lions

by DarkAdrenaline



Series: Voltron/Guild Wars 2 AU [1]
Category: Guild Wars 2 (Video Game), Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/M, Gen, Kidge - Freeform, Swearing, Violence, guild wars 2 au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-27
Updated: 2018-02-27
Packaged: 2019-03-24 16:43:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13815273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkAdrenaline/pseuds/DarkAdrenaline
Summary: When Pidge joined the Paladins of Voltron, she expected adventure and danger, and to be a part of a new era of dragon hunters, like Destiny's Edge.  What she forgot to remember is that sometimes the fight requires a sacrifice.





	Heart of Lions

**Author's Note:**

> Taking a break from Event Horizon to get this crappy idea out of my head. The result of playing GW2 again and seeing the ways the Voltron crew can fit into it. Will probably add more one shots for this verse as time goes on.

Pidge cringed as she heard the tell-tale sounds of Hunk losing his lunch somewhere behind her.  The loveable norn was formidable, but she and the rest of the Paladins of Voltron knew that the poor guy had a weak stomach, and sea travel was no exception.  Luckily, Claw Island loomed just ahead of them, which means soon they would be docked.  Ivy chirped at her side, nudging her hip with her snout and nearly knocking her into Keith, who rested against the railing next to her.

“Easy girl. I know you don’t like water that much. Sorry, Keith.”  She apologized to the renegade, shrugging, though she knew he couldn't see her through his blindfold. He huffed out a laugh and reached out to pet the huge sand lion next to her.

“It’s fine, most lions don’t seem to appreciate water. Not that I blame them, seriously dangerous creatures can hide in deep water.”  He gestured vaguely toward the ocean in front of them. Pidge nodded and sighed. Out of the corner of her eye she could see her mentor, Tybalt, gesturing wildly as he spoke with Kolivan, a fellow charr and member of the Whispers. Poor guy was trying so hard to impress Kolivan, though she knew that was more because of his previous experiences with other charr than from hero worship. Skill and experience-wise, Kolivan was on par with the Preceptors, even though he was technically only a Lightbringer like herself, Keith, and Tybalt.

As they finally docked at the fort, Lance appeared from the bow of the ship, nodding at her and Keith, Though he and the others in Voltron were not members of their order, both her and Keith felt they would benefit from the rest of their guild being there.  Some things, Pidge mused, were larger than just their orders.  Members of the Order of Whispers, Durmand Priory, and Vigil all working together for a common goal.  Now, if only they could get the rest of their orders to also see the benefit…

 

“The creature we found hadn't been in Lion's Arch long. We may still have time.  We have to find the Watch Commander and convince him to ready the defenses.”  Tybalt grunted, stretching his arms above his head as he disembarked. Pidge followed after, careful not to trip over the boards that lead to the dock.  Behind her followed Keith, Lance, Allura, and the rest of Voltron. Ivy growled lowly in her throat, the sand lion cautious as she followed behind Pidge.

Shiro, another towering norn and the leader of their guild frowned as he looked up at the Claw Island fortress. “I don’t like this.  Snow Leopard protect us, I have a bad feeling about this mission.” The firebrand guardian hefted his axe onto his shoulder as he moved closer to Allura, their sylvari mesmer.  Lance snorted, gripping the strap of his sniper rifle as he hopped over the gap between the boards and dock.

“You always have a bad feeling, Shiro.  I may not be Whispers, but I trust their intel. They may be a bunch of cowardly spies but they know their stuff.” A wide grin split the Vigil deadeye’s face as Pidge glared at him.

“HEY!  Tybalt and I gathered that intel ourselves, thank you very much!” She huffed, smacking his arm as he moved closer to her and Keith. He laughed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, bumping his hip against her as they walked towards the main gates. “No, I know, I’m just giving you trouble. I swear, old deadie there is rubbing off on you the more time you spend with him - you’re losing your sense of humor!” Lance gestured at the heavily armored man next to her, who just snorted and continued forward, flipping off the other human as he advanced.

“Deadie or not, I have Legionnaire Kalla herself on my side, so watch yourself there McLain.”

“Sure you do Kogane.  How’s Glint treating you there?”

“Fuck off!”  Keith scowled,  flushing red and walking ahead of the group. Pidge elbowed Lance, smirking slightly as he grunted. “Watch it, you know Glint is a sore subject for him.” Lance scowled and rubbed his ribs with his unoccupied hand. “I know, but he makes it so easy!”  Pidge opened her mouth to retort but an excited exclamation from their sylvari engineer, Coran, behind her made her pause.

“Oh, by the Pale Tree, is that Trahearne I see with Commander Talon?!”

“TRAHERNE?!  THE TRAHEARNE as in THE TRAHEARNE THAT IS THE FOREMOST EXPERT ON ORR TRAHEARNE?!” Pidge sighed as the combined voices of both Allura and Hunk reached her ears, rolling her eyes as the large norn and and two sylvaris raced past their group towards the gate ahead of them.

 

“This fortress is huge. I've never seen it up close before. Maybe... nah, who am I kidding. The Risen are ready for this place!” She looked over at Tybalt, who had stopped initially at the sight of the Claw Island fortress, but shook his head and caught up to her, Lance falling behind instead as he fiddled with his eyepiece.

She frowned, “I hate to say it, but the Orrians wouldn't be attacking if they didn't think they could swarm the island. We'd better hurry.” Tybalt grunted and readjusted his rifle on his back. She could tell his prosthetic was bugging him, but they didn’t have time for her to recalibrate it like she had Shiro’s back in Lion’s Arch, a fact she sincerely regretted at the current moment.

“Huh…Trahearne, as in the Necromancer Traherne?” Shiro muttered as he caught up to Pidge’s group, eying the Firstborn sylvari. Pidge smiled and reached out to pat Shiro’s flesh arm, “Yes, Trahearne is a necromancer, but not like you are used to - not like Haggar. I heard good things about him from Father and Matt prior to…to…yeah.” She swallowed and shook her head.  “Trahearne is trustworthy. I can give you my word on that.” The norn eyed her, then nodded.

“Alright. I’ll trust you on this.” Shiro nodded once, then focused his attention on the conversation happening ahead of them.

“-Commander Talon, I can confirm their information. Zhaitan's servants are indeed approaching.  A fleet of Dead Ships has launched from the Straits of Devastation. The Risen sail beneath a cloak of stealth.”

The charr commander snorted, crossing his arms.  “Whatever you've seen, it can't be a real threat. Claw Island can withstand any assault!  Speak with my commanders, Brakk and Mira. Once you review our defenses, you'll realize there's nothing to fear.”  His amber gaze focused first on Trahearne, then moved to Keith and the rest of the Paladins of Voltron. “There’s not much I figure a...ragtag group of soldiers such as yourselves can find that my Lionguard have not.”

A bark of laughter erupted from the back of the group, and a glance back proved that Lance was the source. “Alright ya old charr, we’ll show you that the guild of Voltron is made of tougher stuff than you are used to!”  Pidge groaned and started walking towards the ramparts.

“Seriously, Lance? Way to piss off the commander in charge…” She sighed and focused her attention back on her fellow Lightbringer, smiling as she listened to his conversation with the sylvari Firstborn.

“Look at me, Trahearne, I'm out and about on a mission!”  The charr puffed out his chest, winking at Pidge. The sylvari grinned and patted Tybalt’s shoulder. “A field agent at last! Congratulations, Tybalt. I know how much you wanted that.”

Tybalt twitched his tail and moved closer to Trahearne. “You should get out from under all those books and join us. You're starting to look all wilted.” He grinned, fangs glinting in the fading sunlight. “It's good to see you, my friend.”

Pidge stopped and turned back towards Commander Talon, eying the intimidating charr.  “Are you sure we are ready for anything, including a possible attack from Orr?” Ivy growled lowly from next to the human, and she patted the lion on the head to placate her.

“Inspect our defenses. Look at our munitions. I tell you, we're ready for anything. There's no need to worry.”  The charr commander puffed up like a defensive cat, eying the sand lion next to Pidge and then turning his glare to the courtyard. Pidge shrugged and turned to Shiro. “Can you talk to Deputy Bragg? I’ll head down to the beach with Keith and talk to Mira if the others can keep an eye on the courtyard.”

Shiro hummed and looked down at Allura, who fiddled with her scepter next to him. Moving her gaze up at him, the dark sylvari nodded and tapped her hip twice, indicating she could form the appropriate mirages for defense. Shiro looked back at Pidge and tilted his head. “I think we’re good here. Allura and I will talk to Bragg - Kolivan, Coran, and Hunk can cover the courtyard.”

Pidge whistled sharply, catching the attention of both Lance and Keith. She gestured to them, getting a quicker response from Keith than Lance, before she turned back to Shiro. “Lance will take the ramparts - he’s better with ranged. Keith and I will talk to Mira with Trahearne.”

 

Running down the beach, she could see a blonde off in the distance, and out of the corner of her eye she could see the violet and black armored form of Keith join her. As they drew closer they slowed down, the golden armor of the Lionguard almost blinding in the setting sun.

“Welcome to beach patrol, the most dangerous duty on Claw Island.” Mira greeted them, her hand resting on her sword, hip cocked as she stared down the figures in front of her.

“Deputy, a massive attack is on its way from Orr. You must prepare your troops.” Trahearne uttered, stepping forward. Mira stared at the sylvari, unimpressed.  “If we fall, our last order is to light those three signal towers. We have to warn Lion's Arch if the fortress is lost.”  Her gaze sharpened as she turned to look at Pidge. “In a hundred years, they've never once been lit. We're very proud of that.”

Before Pidge could respond, a sharp cry alerted them.  Mira’s green eyes sharpened and she turned her head toward the beach.

“Deputy Mira! Sound the alarm, there are undead on the beach!!’ A Lionguard yelled, sword clashing against the body of an approaching undead.  Mira swore loudly, turning toward the two Voltron members and the sylvari firstborn with her. “Do what you can, make sure none make it past this beach!”

Trahearne summoned a few shadow beasts as Keith materialized his swords. Pidge unsheathed her daggers as she and Ivy both braced for attack, “Here goes…”

As they watched, a wave of undead stumbled from the water in front of them. Jaws hanging loosely, flesh stringing from limbs as they grumbled and groaned, the undead shambled their way towards the shore. Pidge shuddered a bit before steeling herself and leaping forward,  Her deldrimor blades sliced through the undead flesh like paper, though she still couldn’t get used to the feeling no matter how long she had been at it. She could see Ivy tearing into the shambling forms to her side, and the quick flashes as Keith moved, swords blinking in and out of sight as he crossed through the Mists and back. Shots brushed by her head as Lance aimed from the walls, and she sent a thankful prayer heavensward that Balthazar had blessed his keen eye.

Finally, it seemed like it was over.  She could heard Keith breathing heavily next to her as she sheathed her daggers, Ivy moving closer to her hip, blackish blood dripping from her muzzle.  Mira huffed and held her side, a small flash of crimson peeking out from her gloves. “That wasn't much of a fight. Trahearne, I thought you said the attack would be significant?”

Trahearne frowned, waving his hand as his minions groaned and disappeared into the sand. “It was a feint. They're testing your defenses. More will come, and soon.”

Sighing, Mira gestured to Keith and winced as the movement jarred her wound. “Makes sense. Report to Watch Commander Talon, and tell the men to be ready.” Keith nodded, even though it appeared he couldn’t see her motion, and headed back towards the fort, disappearing into nothingness.  Pidge snorted and started making her way back to the fort as well, wishing she had the revenant’s skill of moving between the Mists and the current dimension.

Pidge and the sylvari made it back to the commander just as Keith was finishing his report. “A paltry attack. It barely ruffled our feathers. Is that all they brought?” The charr snarled, claws flexing as he sneered at the humans. Trahearne cleared his throat and moved forward, and Pidge shifted to allow the sylvari room. “There will be more. Much more. Keep watching the sea.”

Talon snorted, the sound echoing around them.  “You're a scholar, not a general, firstborn. Why should we trust you?”  Trahearne opened his mouth to retort, but was interrupted by the high pitched screeching of the asuran deputy behind them.

“The fortress is under attack! Ready on the wall! Hostiles incoming...there are too many! They've breached the wall! We're being over-” Brakk’s voice cut out in a squawk as he was knocked out by an Abomination.

Pidge swore, whipping around to face the courtyard and ramparts, wide eyes searching for her guildmates. She spotted Lance hanging off a railing connected to the nearest trebuchet, upside down and hanging by his legs as he picked off undead with his sniper rifle. Allura and Shiro were fighting near the center fountain, though it was difficult to tell the position of the real Allura with several of her shatter clones surrounding the pair. Hunk and Coran were harder to locate, but she soon saw them crouched down next to another trebuchet, tools flashing as they tried to fix the damage caused by the rampaging Abominations on the wall.

Suddenly she froze, reaching out quickly to grip at Keith’s arm, feeling the warm metal of his gauntlets under her palm. “Where’s Tybalt?”

Trahearne pushed off the wall with a grunt, and made his way quickly over to the two. “He stayed behind on the beaches with Mira - wait!  I see him!” The charr could be seen ahead coming from the beach entry, running as fast as he could with a blonde figure thrown over his broad shoulders like a sack of potatoes. As he grew closer, Pidge could see him holding his prosthetic against his body, his good arm bracing Mira.

“So it looks like our little sortie got out of hand, eh?” He huffed, setting Mira down against the wall as gently as he could, and the others could see a trickle of blood making its way down her face. “Mira here took a bit of a hard hit to the head, I got her out as quick as I could but can’t say the same for the rest of her patrol…”

The blonde groaned, eyes blinking open, before she shifted her foggy gaze up at Commander Talon and the others. “Risen...dead ships...” She closed her eyes again and when she reopened them this time, there was as bit more semblance of clarity. “Dead ships off the coast...we were overrun.” The blonde struggled to get up, leaning against the wall as she looked at Talon.

The commander growled and drew his sword, “Mira! How stand the beaches?”

“Fallen, sir, and a lot of good soldiers with them.” She grimaced, “We have to light the watchtowers.”

**“** And let Lion's Arch think we've lost? No, Mira, not yet. Claw Island's withstood much worse-” A gurgling sound cut off the charr’s command as a spear was thrust through his back.

“SIR!” The others screamed in unison, staring in horror as the Risen withdrew the spear from the charr’s body.  Talon collapsed, his eyes staring blankly as the life seeped out of him.

A flurry of charr swears and growls came from Keith, reminding Pidge yet again of the human’s unusual upbringing. A quick flash of his sword and the beast was decapitated, head rolling back towards the gate.  

“Mira, the island is overwhelmed. We have to evacuate the Lionguard and ignite the watchtowers to warn the city!”

Mira looked up at Keith from where she had kneeled next to the fallen commander. “No. You'll never make it to the beacon with these Risen monstrosities chasing you. We'll have to fight our way back.  The Lionguard will make a stand in the courtyard while you go for the tower. Gods willing, the Risen will be too busy fighting us to stop you.”

Trahearne sighed next to Pidge, leaning heavily on the stone wall behind him. “Your bravery is commendable, Deputy Mira, but your soldiers cannot survive a protracted battle against this many undead.”

She smiled up at the sylvari, right eye closed as blood dripped down her face.  “It's the duty of every Lionguard to lay down our lives to protect our city. If that's what it takes, that's exactly what we'll do. We'll rally in the courtyard. You light the warning beacons. Now, go!”

 

Pidge crouched down next to Ivy and rested her forehead against the lion’s. “Be safe girl. May Grenth and Melandru guide you.” She breathed out, gripping the lion’s fur before standing and turning towards the ramps. Keith stood next to her, body tensed as he readied himself for the sprint. He looked down at her, eyes blocked by his blindfold and not for the first time, she wished she could see the violet eyes she had seen back when he was still just a young warrior - before they had started this journey as a Paladins of Voltron.  Breathing in sharply, she reached up and grabbed the back of his neck, pulling him down to her level.  She should hear his own breath stop as he grew closer, confused at her actions.

Chapped lips met his as she kissed him fiercely, trying to pour everything she felt into that singular kiss.  For all either of them knew, this could be it. Pidge didn't want to die with regrets and what-ifs, she wanted to die knowing what the renegade’s lips tasted like and what it felt like to maybe have her feelings returned.

His own hands floundered briefly at the start, before he melted into the embrace, hands settling at her waist and pulling her closer as he tilted his head and deepened the kiss. A low moan burned at the back of her throat as he pressed harder against her, teeth nipping at her lips briefly before he pulled away, breathing heavily and face flushed scarlet.

“Pidge…” Keith breathed out..

“I just - gods. I know you don’t feel the same but I had to try.” Pidge forced out, pulling away from his embrace, gripping her arms tightly and looking up towards the watchtowers.

“Pidge-”

“I need to go. Cover the base of the tower!” She interrupted him, stepping back and running up the stairs towards the main watchtower. Keith was left reaching for her, hand touching empty air as she disappeared.

  


The last watchtower had just barely lit when Pidge heard an unearthly roar that shook her to her bones. Ivy snarled and backed up towards the ranger, ears pinned back as the lion looked towards the horizon.

Turning from the tower control panel, her blood seemed to freeze in her veins as suddenly a dragon, larger than she had ever seen in her 23 years of life slammed into the southern rampart, sending dust and debris everywhere.  The undead dragon shook its massive head side to side, before belting out another shattering roar and exhaling a thick wave of miasma over the area. Next to her Keith suddenly materialized from the Mists, his own body tense and fists firmly gripping his swords.

“Blightghast...I’ve heard of the dragon lieutenants before...but never seen one in person. Especially not any of Zhaitan’s.” He breathed out. Pidge turned her head to look at him as he continued. “We need to go, we don’t have the resources or manpower to fight a dragon!”

He urged her forward, both of the Lightbringers soon sprinting down the stairs past Risen and Lionguard alike. “We need to regroup at the entrance!  SHIRO!”  Keith hollered at the guardian as they approached him and Allura, the norn’s blue shield barrier quickly surrounding their group as the others joined them.  Mira was leaning heavily on Hunk, while Lance provided cover fire using his pistols next to him as they group moved slowly towards the main gate, taking out Risen as they approached.  Shiro’s shield kept out the worst of the dragon’s miasma, but enough seeped in to make breathing difficult.

The battered and bleeding group stumbled past the gate, breathing heavily and leaning against whatever solid object they could find.  Shiro’s barrier was holding steady, but judging from the norn’s sallow and sweaty face, it wouldn’t for long. Beyond the glowing blue shield, the rotting forms of the Risen pressed closer to their position, and the hulking form of the undead dragon could be seen crushing the rampart walls as if they were made of sand.

“The dragon's servants will never let our ships sail. If they surround the docks, they'll slaughter us—and Zhaitan's forces will grow.” Tybalt grunted, clutching his damaged prosthetic against his side.

Lance grimaced and rolled his shoulders. ”Our soldiers are too injured to fight. They can barely walk...hell, we can barely walk! We can't form a defense and still get them all aboard…” He pushed his eyepiece up and looked at the group. “We need a diversion, and quick. I don’t think Shiro can hold on much longer.”

“I haven't always lived bravely, but I think...I think I'd like to die that way.” Pidge’s eyes snapped wide open, and she shot up from where she had been leaning against Allura, staring at the charr.

“What? Tybalt, what are you planning?”

“After I lost my hand, I joined the Order of Whispers...because the charr thought I was useless. Nobody needs a shaky engineer. I said I wanted to fight the dragons, and I did. But then I spent six years as a researcher, never facing my fears. Never even trying. Nobody believed I had courage. Not even me…”

Tybalt huffed and let a shaky grin cross his muzzle,  “...and then you came along. You trusted me then, my friend. I need you to trust me now. I can do this.”

The whole time he talked Pidge’s face grew paler and she shook her head, slowly at first and then almost violently by the time the charr had finished talking. “NO! Tybalt, you can’t, that’s practically suicide!! There’s got to be a different way!”

“Go! There's no time to argue. Just believe in me.” Tybalt looked up at Keith, who nodded once with a stony face before grabbing Pidge and starting to lead her back. The smaller woman fought hard against his grip, cries of protest leaving her as she watched her partner give her one last smile, before turning and heading back towards the gate. Ivy whined from next to Keith, torn between staying with her ranger or following after the charr. Shiro’s barrier flickered shakily before vanishing, the guardian breathing heavily and stumbling back.

 

“TYBALT!!”

The guttural cry erupted from Pidge’s throat as she watched the gates slam shut behind her partner. She listened in horror as she heard the howls and screams coming from behind the wooden frame, listening to her partner - no, her friend - as he growled out threats to the Risen. Coming back to awareness with a jolt as Keith shouted her name and gripped her shoulders, she could feel herself trembling hard.  Whether it was from fear or fury was harder to distinguish.  

Her hands gripped her daggers as she breathed out hard and closed her eyes, trying to focus. “Ivy, Soulbeast!”

Ivy roared, sandy body glowing green before blinking out of sight.  Pidge inhaled sharply as Ivy’s spirit slammed into her own, her own body flashing green before her eyes snapped open and she let out a deafening roar not unlike the lion’s. Her body grew nearly the size of Shiro’s own norn body, pupils disappearing into the gold that had overtaken her eyes. The searing pain from her previous wounds vanished under the raw power and magic, leaving a surge of adrenaline and rage behind.

Growling, she shot forward past the others, feeling a vicious satisfaction as her blades buried themselves deep into the chest of the nearest Risen that blocked their path back to the ship. Deep red blood, nearly black in color erupted from the undead as she wrenched her daggers free, before whirling around and slashing at another. A black blur shot past her and took out two more Risen ahead of her, pausing only enough for her to vaguely identify the figure as Keith. Behind her she could hear the sounds of her guildmates fighting their own battles against the Risen along with the remaining Lionguard soldiers - gunshots from Lance and Coran, the thundering of a warhammer from Hunk, the ethereal shattering of Allura’s mirages. Gold eyes narrowed, she continued forward, letting the rage and bloodlust of her borrowed lion spirit drown out the overwhelming grief.

The Risen had taken her friend, attacked her homeland - they would not take her guild.

 

“Pidge?”

Keith moved slowly towards the ranger, settling next to her from where she leaned heavily against the railing. Claw Island slowly faded into the distance, the echoing roar of Blightghast now only barely audible as they sailed further away from the scene of destruction.

From this angle he could see the dead stare on her face, spots of the blackened blood left over from her rampage still clinging to her skin and leathers. Her brown hair tangled in the wind, and strands blew loose from her ponytail. She didn’t acknowledge his presence, still lost in the numbness that had settled in once they had boarded the ship and set sail. Ivy nudged her snout against Keith’s hip from her spot between them, a low whine sounding in her chest.

His right hand reached up and rested on hers lightly where it gripped the railing. Tybalt’s sacrifice would weigh on her for a long time, he knew. He didn’t feel like there was anything he could say at this point to pull her from her grief, and so just moved closer, hoping it would be enough. They still had plenty to do, and needed to regroup with their Order to figure out a plan of action.

A moment later, a shuddery breath escaped her lips, and her hand turned over to lace her fingers with his.

  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Inspiration: [x]


End file.
